PRESIDENT Donald Trump has revealed the truth about a potential run for a third term, promising a 2028 election bid would be a “big shattering.”
Trump has previously said he is “not joking” about another possible term in the White House.
The president boasted about both his power at home and influence abroad in a new interview with The Atlantic.
“The first time, I had two things to do — run the country and survive,” Trump said, adding, “I had all these crooked guys.”
“And the second time, I run the country and the world,” the president said.
In March, Trump made shockwaves when he suggested that he was serious about a third term as president.
He told NBC News at the time that “a lot of people want me to do it.”
“But, I mean, I basically tell them we have a long way to go, you know, it’s very early in the administration,” he added.
And just last week, Trump’s real estate company, the Trump Organization, dropped a new version of Trump’s classic “Make America Great Again” hat.
This time, the red hat simply says, “Trump 2028,” which is the next presidential election year.
The $50 hat was modeled by Eric Trump, the president’s second-oldest child, on the company’s official online store.
Kimberly Benza, a spokesperson for the Trump Organization, told the New York Post that the new merchandise was put online “because it’s amazing.”
Trump said in his interview published Monday that it “would be a big shattering” if he ran for reelection.
He added: “Well, maybe I’m just trying to shatter.”
But he then admitted: “It’s not something that I’m looking to do.
“And I think it would be a very hard thing to do.”
The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
It was created in 1951 after President Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected for four consecutive terms.
What is the 22nd Amendment?
THE 22nd Amendment makes up part of the United States Constitution.
The ruling places a limit on the number of terms a political candidate can serve as the president.
It was first made part of the Constitution on February, 27, 1951 and stated no individual can be elected to the office of President more than twice.
This amendment was introduced following Franklin D. Roosevelt’s unprecedented four terms as president.
His reign is said to have been widely flagged by raising concerns about the concentration of power and increased the desire to formalise term limits.
Roosevelt broke the tradition set by George Washington who voluntarily stepped down after two terms.
Both Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama have expressed some regret over only serving eight years.
But Trump did say last month that, “There are methods which you could do it,” referring to a run for a third term.
The president faced a situation where Vice President JD Vance may run for president in 2028 and then hand over the baton to Trump after winning the election.
Trump slyly responded: “Well that’s one.”
MEDIA MELTDOWN
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has previously called out reporters for spiraling over Trump’s comments.
During a press briefing outside the White House in March, a spokesperson mentioned the issue of a possible third term for the president, stating that he responds truthfully and lightheartedly, leading to a significant reaction from the public.
Trump also touched on his relationship with the world’s richest people and his crackdown on illegal immigrants in his new interview.
The president said the billionaire class has “a higher level of respect” this time around.
High-profile tech figures such as Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg were present at Trump’s inauguration ceremony held in January.
“Maybe they didn’t know me at the beginning, and they know me now,” he said.
Trump was asked about his massive deportation effort and the possibility that a legal resident or US citizen could be removed from the country by accident.
“Let me tell you that nothing will ever be perfect in this world,” he responded.
